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Gov. Walz roams Sleepy Eye for Pheasant Hunting Opener
The Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener has been a tradition since 2011.
SLEEPY EYE, Minn — Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spent Saturday morning tramping through tall grass on the opening day of Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season, giving the campaign a chance to highlight the governor’s rural roots and love of outdoor sports.
Neither Walz nor Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan managed to bag any pheasants as they hunted near Sleepy Eye, a town about 90 miles southwest of Minneapolis. One person in the governor’s own party shot a bird, while nobody in the lieutenant governor’s group did, but six birds were harvested among other hunting parties that participated in a community luncheon afterward, the governor’s office said.
“They can hide, they can get under the grass,” Walz could be heard saying as they searched for one downed bird.
The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris has been openly confronting the question of whether some men are reluctant to vote for her because she’s a woman. Key supporters are starting to make more direct appeals to male voters, hoping to overcome sexism — and apathy — as Election Day approaches. Harris disclosed during her debate with former President Donald Trump last month that she’s a gun owner.
On Friday, the Democratic ticket announced the launch of Hunters and Anglers for Harris-Walz, a national organizing program to engage sportspeople, conservationists and rural voters in key states.
The Trump campaign mocked the outing, accusing Walz of “desperately attempting to make up ground with male voters.” The campaign’s statement also falsely said there were no guns in sight during the hunt, calling it “a sign of the future under a Harris-Walz administration.”
Hard to tell who was more excited for the pheasant opener today — me or the pup! pic.twitter.com/S24CjjHqtC
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 12, 2024
While it’s true that a 36-second video clip from MSNBC tweeted by the Trump campaign didn’t show any guns, it was recorded before Walz and his party had donned their blaze orange safety vests and hats and headed into the field after a safety briefing from a conservation officer. They held their shotguns raised to avoid endangering the energetic pointers and Labradors that tried to sniff out birds for the hunters.
While Walz had a top rating from the National Rifle Association during his 12 years in Congress, he changed his positions on gun issues after a series of school shootings. As governor, he signed legislation in 2023 expanding background checks for gun transfers and a “red flag law” allowing courts to temporarily take firearms away from people judged to be at imminent risk of harming themselves or others. His wife, Gwen, has been a champion of gun safety legislation.
“Sorry Tim, men aren’t voting for a gun grabber,” the Trump campaign tweeted from an official account.
The Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener has been a tradition since 2011, patterned after the state’s older fishing and deer season opener celebrations. It rotates through host communities in the pheasant country of southern and western Minnesota.
Walz went hunting the morning after attending a football game in Mankato, where he was once an assistant coach.
One of the firefighters was treated and released at the scene and the other is being treated at North Memorial Hospital.
ROGERS, Minn. — One person was found dead and two firefighters were hurt after a structure caught fire in Rogers, Minnesota.
According to the Rogers Fire Department, the fire occurred on Territorial and Fletcher and has been contained.
The two firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the department. One of them was treated and released at the scene and the other is being treated at North Memorial Hospital.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The memorial service in International Falls on Sunday honored Voyageurs National Park Ranger Kevin Grossheim.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minnesota — The National Park ranger who died while trying to save others was honored Sunday in International Falls.
The memorial service for Kevin Grossheim, 55, was held at International Falls High School.
“Kevin was one of the kindest souls I’ve come across. His quiet and calming demeanor had a way of putting people at ease,” said Josh Wentz, Voyageurs National Park’s chief ranger.
Grossheim and his wife, Jill, moved to Kabetogama more than 20 years ago. Grossheim spent 23 years as a ranger for Voyageurs National Park.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told KARE 11 that a 911 call came into dispatchers around 11:30 a.m. from a family of campers stranded on an island on Namakan Lake in Voyageurs National Park. Ramsay said conditions were brutal with winds gusting at well over 40 miles per hour and waves five to six feet tall, and the campers couldn’t get their boat off the beach.
Grossheim reached the family but while attempting to tow the stranded craft to the mainland, the ranger’s boat capsized and threw all four people into the water. The family made it to shore but Grossheim did not. After a three-hour search, Grossheim’s body was recovered from Namakan Lake.
While colleagues at the memorial service described Grossheim as quiet, his actions spoke volumes.
“Kevin was an everyday hero that managed to avoid recognition himself and present it to others. He gave the ultimate sacrifice in his life for a family he didn’t know, for a job he loved, and for his integrity,” said Kabetogama Fire Chief Brian Wichner.
Besides his work as a park ranger, Grossheim spent nearly 20 years volunteering with the EMS/first responder team.
At his service, friends and colleagues said he had a passion for teaching boating and medical skills. Earlier this year, Grossheim received the park’s annual safety award — something that many of his loved ones didn’t know until after his death when reading the news in the local paper.
“Kevin never sought out glamorous jobs as it wasn’t his way. So a lot of staff didn’t know how much he had going on in the background,” Wentz said.
According to Wentz, Grossheim was quickly approaching retirement and had plans with his extra time to modernize his childhood home.
While addressing the crowd, Wichner said about Grossheim, “He is our hero.”
Officers arrested the person believed to be the suspect before 5 p.m.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating after a man was shot at a St. Paul branch of the agency Sunday afternoon.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, preliminary information suggests the man was shot by one of his coworkers at the post office.
SPPD officers were initially called to the scene on the 1700 block of W. 7th Street for a report of a shooting just before 3:30 p.m., according to a statement from the department.
Responding officers found a man who was suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. That man was transported to Regions Hospital, according to the statement.
Officers arrested the person believed to be the suspect before 5 p.m.
“Preliminary information indicates they are co-workers at the post office,” said the SPPD statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
